3 dead in Iowa-Wisconsin homicide, suicide

Three people are dead in what appears to be a domestic abuse situation as Wisconsin and Iowa authorities investigate what happened Wednesday that ended in the suspected suicide of the shooter, the slaying of a Dubuque County woman and the unexplained death of a 13-year-old girl.

Alexander C. Grunke of Middleton, Wis., was identified as the shooter who authorities said killed himself after a pursuit and an armed standoff with law enforcement in Albion, Wis., about 30 miles southeast of Madison. He was in his late 30s.

A 13-year-old girl who was riding with him during the chase, and who was reportedly shooting at pursuing squad cars, also died nearby in the woods, though the cause of her death is undetermined. She has not been identified.

Two hours after the shootout, the Dubuque County Sheriff’s Office found Tana Poppe, 32, dead at her home in rural Dubuque County. Poppe’s death is being investigated as a homicide, and Grunke is considered a person of interest in her slaying, the sheriff’s office said.

The 13-year-old girl had been staying with Poppe at her home, as had a 5-month-old baby, authorities said.

Dane County (Wis.) Sheriff Kalvin Barrett detailed what happened in a Thursday news conference.

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He said the sheriff’s office received a call at about 5:30 p.m. Wednesday from a family who told them Grunke and a 13-year-old girl had dropped off a 5-month-old child at their house in Dunn, Wis.

The family gave sheriff’s deputies information about the vehicle — a black Ford Escape — that Grunke and the girl left in. Deputies found the car and attempted a traffic stop but were led on a chase through the county.

Both Grunke and the girl fired weapons — a handgun and a rifle — at the deputies pursuing them, the sheriff said. The deputies did not return fire, the sheriff said.

Law enforcement officers stopped the car in Albion, Wis. — about 15 miles from where the baby had been dropped off — using tire deflation devices.

Grunke and the girl fled.

The girl ran into a wooded area and was later found unresponsive. She was pronounced dead from an unknown cause. Barrett said in the news conference the girl had no obvious wounds and no weapons were found with her.

Grunke ran into a house on Ramsey Road in Albion, firing several rounds into the house, and barricaded himself in the basement. Deputies were able to remove the family that lived there, and they were uninjured.

“The courageous acts of the deputies and the courage of the family is the reason why they were able to be removed from the house without further incident,” Barrett said at the news conference.

Dane County deputies attempted to talk to Grunke but were unable to make contact with him. Eventually, deputies used a robot to enter the home and found Grunke dead, an apparent suicide, at around 7 a.m. Thursday.

Deputies did not discharge their weapons during the chase or the standoff, and none of the deputies involved were injured, Barrett said.

At 7:11 p.m. Wednesday — two hours after the baby was dropped off in Dunn and while the standoff was ongoing in Albion — the Dubuque County Sheriff’s Office was called to 9866 Haxbylane Rd., about 10 miles south of Dubuque, where they found Poppe’s body.

A Dubuque County news release did not give a suspected motive for the homicide but did encourage anyone who is involved in or knows someone who is involved in a domestic abuse relationship to call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-(800)-799-SAFE (7233), or text “START” to 88788, or call the Iowa Victim Service Call Center at 1-(800) 770-1650, or text “IOWAHELP” to 20121.

“As a reminder, one of the most dangerous times for women is when they are separating from a domestic relationship,” the release stated.

“Our hearts ache today for the friends and family of those who passed away,” Dane County Sheriff Barrett said at the Thursday news conference. “No matter the circumstances, we at the Dane County Sheriffs Office take the loss of life very seriously, and we send our deepest condolences and are empathetic to the loss of life that occurred yesterday evening.”

Court records

Dane County Court Records show Poppe and Grunke shared a 9-year-old daughter, according to online court records. Poppe petitioned for a restraining order against Grunke twice in October 2023, and records show multiple text messages in which she referred to him as a “predator of children,” telling him to leave her and her children alone, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.

Police have not said anything about the 10-year-old girl's whereabouts.

The relationship between Grunke and the 13-year-old and infant wasn't immediately clear, according to authorities.

On March 26, Grunke was charged in Dane County with abduction of child, interference with child custody and knowingly violating a domestic abuse injunction. The case had not been adjudicated.

Court records indicate Grunke is 38 years old, though Dane County officials reported he was 37 or 39.

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